O Terrorismo Jihadista na Europa: Algumas Tendências sobre Radicalização e Recrutamento

Considering the 9/11 terrorist attacks, all members of the Hamburg cell were foreigner´s and were recruited by Al-Qaeda. Differently, the 2004 Madrid train bombings and the 2005 London bombings, were executed by national citizens that became radicalized and formed terrorist cells – without any connection to other terrorist group. So, according to this scenario, the academic community has tried to explain this type of individual behavior, and the objective of this article is to analyze the process of radicalization in Islamic extremism, pinpoint out some explanations with the scope of strengthening the Muslim communities in order to resist the ideology of Islamism. True, Portugal as a moderate Muslim community but it is not immune of foreign threats. Indeed, in 2004, it was assumed that three members of the Hofstad cell came to Portugal with the aim of killing Durão Barroso and the Barcelona cell (dismantled in 2008) was planning terrorists attacks in Portugal.